Stawberry Moon
by Firekee
Summary: Cobalt is a rouge who happens to do you a favor if you get him something nice, like a shiny twoleg object. But when he agrees to return the Rainclan leaders kidnapped daughter from Hailclan, he realizes he may have bitten off more then he can chew.
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I don't own warriors! "Strawberry Moon" Is an original warriors fanfic, with original clans and characters, based off the series by Erin Hunter.

Darkness had settled on the forest. It was past that time when the cats of the clans were supposed to be asleep in their nests. It was the night of the crescent moon, and a cloudless night at that. The stars glittered down from the sky and gave slight illumination to the forest below. In the dim light, a cat was stalking slowly from the Rainclan camp. He carried something in his mouth that glittered in the night, and walked cautiously, even in his own territory, and constantly stopped to scent the air.

The cat finally came to his destination; the crater at the center of the four territories. The Rainclan tom walked carefully to the big rock at the center of the crater and sat down atop it, looking around anxiously. The glittering object he had brought with him he dropped beside the rock.

A loud yawn greeted him from the tree line, where a diluted tortoiseshell tom had emerged from the trees. "Quickstar," He greeted informally to the big gray figure on the rock. "How ya been?" Even in the near darkness, the new toms bright blue eyes shone out and made him clearly visible in the night.

Quickstars eyes narrowed at the tom. "I've been just fine, Cobalt." He spoke acidly, as if he'd rather be anywhere but here. "I've brought you something." He said, jumping down from the rock and picking up the object he'd brought with him. He walked over to where Cobalt stood, and dropped it. His body language made it clear he didn't want to be anywhere near the tom.

Cobalt's eyes showed interest in the new object, and he leaned over it to inspect it. He looked back up at Quickstar. "What is it?" The interest was clear in his voice.

The gray tom, whickers twitching in distaste, responded as carefully polite as he could. "I sent Shadedmoon to the cabin to find it. The kittypet there called it a 'watch'." Cobalt poked at the watch with his paw, listening to the ticking sound it made, and watching with interest as the tiny hands inside it moved. He didn't have anything like this in his collection, although he wanted it now.

"Very well," The diluted tortie sat up straight and studied Quickstar with his best business expression. "What do you want for it?" The trade wasn't an object for an object. No, Cobalt didn't work that way. You gave him something he wanted, and he'd do something for you. Whatever you wanted, so long as it didn't involve him hurting himself for others amusement. Some idiot kittypet queen had wanted him to do something along those lines once.

Quickstar look a deep breath and addressed Cobalt, his voice taking on a desperate edge. "My daughter, Cobalt. I want you to bring me back my daughter" He shook his head before continuing. "I know she's at Hailclan, with Bleachstar. His scent was at the apprentices den. He came and stole her from us, but when we confronted him at the gathering, we had no proof." Quickstar stared at his paws. A rouge they'd found on their territory had told them that a cat named Cobalt could help them with anything they needed. He was called the Magpie among rouges, due to the fact that he horded anything that caught his interest.

Supposedly, he was born without a conscience. Cobalt killed without thinking, and didn't understand 'bad'. He also didn't appear to care for she-cats, which was why Quickstar had decided to trust him with bringing home his daughter. Foxbrush had called him reckless when he discussed it with her and Shadedmoon, but his sibling had conceded that they needed to get Articpaw back.

Quickstar looked up at Cobalt, would he take the job? None of his cats would dare venture into the Hailclan camp, not with Bleachstar there. If Cobalt was born with no conscience, Bleachstar was born with no heart. He loved to kill, and the numbers of his own clan had suffered since he took over. No clan was dumb enough to venture onto Hailclan territory and risk being brought before Bleachstar for punishment. Was Cobalt brave enough to do it? Or would 'stupid enough' better cover it?

Cobalt grinned, "Bring home your wayward daughter? And I get the watch? Sure, you'll have her by the next full moon." Quickstars shoulders relaxed slightly.

"You'll get this after I see Articpaw." He said simply, leaning down to pick up the watch in his mouth. He nodded at Cobalt before padding back in the direction of his camp.

The diluted tortie grinned again. Articpaw, huh? Heh, he'd bring home The Rainclan leaders daughter. It might even get him a few future jobs from the gray tom. Hopefully any future prizes Quickstar offered him would be as good as the watch. He was tired of spoons, bells and mirrors. He had enough of those in his cave to raise quite a few eyebrows.


	2. Chapter 1

Woo! Chapter two! Enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors!

Spadeheart fidgeted nervously next to the fresh-kill pile. Ashscatter Leaned over and whispered something in his ear, before picking a fat rabbit out of the pile. After some consideration, the bi-colored tom selected a sparrow from the pile. Together, the brothers padded toward Bleachstars den, where Drakefeather was waiting for them. "Bout time," He grunted, moving out of the way to allow them to pass.

Spadeheart and Ashscatter had been appointed to bring food to Bleachstar and his prisoner. Neither of them liked it, but they weren't mouse-brained enough to refuse a direct order. The brothers had been proud Hailclanners since before Bleachstars rule, as had most warriors, but they still didn't approve of his ways. They had been appalled when Bleach had brought a young Rainclan apprentice to the camp in the dead of night, and appointed guards at the entrance to his den. They discovered later that the poor thing was to become Bleachstars mate when she was old enough.

Since she wasn't allowed to leave Bleachstars den, either Ashscatter or Spadeheart was always in the den while Bleachstar was away. It was their responsibility to clean up and take general care of her. They'd discovered that the apprentices name was Articpaw, and that she was none other then Quickstars daughter. Articpaw was hesitant around the brothers at first, and had begged them to take her home, but after a few visits, and after they'd convinced her that they'd all die if they defied Bleachstar, Articpaw had warmed up to the two of them.

They padded in silence through the short tunnel that lead to Bleachstars den, stopping short when the big white tom came into sight. A short distance behind him, a small white she-cat was curled up and watched them silently. Spadeheart had sworn to Ashscatter when they first saw Bleachstar that he must be part lynx or something, their ears barley came to the bottom of his jaws! The large white tom stood up to his full height and addressed the two warriors. "Spadeheart, Ashscatter." His greeting was always the same, and they took it as a go-ahead to give their respective cats the food they brought.

Spadeheart, as always, walked around Bleachstar and dropped the sparrow in front of Articpaw, who smiled briefly up at him. Ashscatter carefully walked up to Bleachstar and placed the fat rabbit before him with utmost care. Bleachstar appeared pleased, and immediately went to devouring his meal the second Ashscatter was out of his way. Articpaw ate much slower, almost dainty about the way she pulled out the feathers and nibbled on the sparrow. Spadeheart went to stand by Ashscatter against the wall of the den.

They waited patiently for both cats to finish their meals. Spadeheart once again felt a rush of sympathy for Articpaw. She was so small! And she wasn't going to get much bigger by the looks of her. 9 Moons old, and barely half Bleachstars size. Bleachstar was too big and too rough to claim Articpaw as a mate, she'd be miserable and in pain throughout her entire life. She already had a few scars on her pelt when from when she'd tried to dash from the den, but Bleachstar hadn't tried anything kit-related with her as of yet.

Once Bleachstar was done with the rabbit, and only bits of fur and bones remained, Ashscatter moved forward to clear the remains. There was a store of banana leaves in the corner of the den that Ashscatter piled the waste on and proceeded to drag out of the den.

"Spadeheart," Bleachstar spoke once Ashscatter was gone, much to Spadehearts surprise. Bleachstar never spoke to him.

"Yes sir?" Spadeheart filled his voice with respect for his leader, and Bleachstar seemed pleased with that.

"Have there been any reports of Rainclan activity on our borders?" he asked, turning to study Articpaw while she ate.

"No sir." Spadeheart said, "They've been very quite recently." He thought that would please Bleachstar, but it brought a frown instead.

"We have the daughter of the Rainclan leader, why are they being quite?" That irritated him, and Bleachstars irritance was never a good thing.

"It's possible their planning something to get Articpaw back, maybe they don't want to alarm us before they put their plans into action?" His words worked, Bleachstar grinned.

"They won't get you back, you realize that?" He spoke to Articpaw, who continued to eat as if she hadn't heard him. He seemed pleased with himself. "Spadeheart, I want you to spread the word once you've finished your duties. Any Rainclan cat found on our territory is to be killed immediately. No questions, no exceptions." Articpaw looked up at his, he amber eyes widening. She'd heard that.

Spadeheart read on her face that she wasn't hungry anymore, so he moved to grab a banana leaf, and to remove the remainder of her meal. She made no move to stop him and Bleachstar only grinned as he watched her. Spadeheart dragged her meal from the den, not looking up at Articpaw as he did so. He met Ashscatter where they usually dumped the remains of the two cats meals.

"Bleachstar wants any Rainclan cat on our territory to be killed on the spot." He said simply. Ashscatter only nodded. He seemed troubled by something. Spadeheart looked up, "What?" They had always been able to tell when something was wrong with the other.

Ashscatters silvery gray head swung around to make sure they were alone. "Coalfoot and Turtlefall went to see about a rouge on the south border." Spadehearts head cocked to the side. The south border was the border they shared with Rainclan, what was a rouge doing over there? Ashscatter seemed to read his thoughts "Wolftail thought it might have something to do with Articpaw, so he sent them to bring him back." Spadeheart was glad he hadn't given Bleachstars orders a little earlier.

Cobalt walked between two cats that had identified themselves only as Hailclan cats. His plan was going well, so far. He had told them that he had an interest in Bleachstar, who he had heard of from a loner that passed through Mistclan territory about two moons ago. The cats had agreed to take him back to camp so he could meet Bleachstar, laughing to themselves that Bleachstar would most likely kill him, regardless of why he was here.

"Allright, we're here" Turtlefall grunted, crawling through the opening to the camp. Cobalt followed silently, marveling at how stupid these cats were. He emerged into the camp, looking around with mild interest. Several cats must have scented him, because the clearing was filling with cats of many ages.

A big brown tom standing by the opening to a den turned and vanished inside it, emerging moments later with a huge white tom. Bleachstar looked at Cobalt, his expression unreadable. When he spoke, it was to the two warriors that had brought him. "Coalfoot, Turtlefall, why have you brought this rouge here?" His brown eyes narrowed as he studied Cobalt.

"Said he was interested in Hailclan" Coalfoot said, loud enough for the whole clan to hear. "Said he wanted to join ever since he heard about us from some loner." Cobalt registered that Coalfoot wasn't the brightest cat there ever was, and that tricking him later wouldn't be so hard.

Bleachstar studied Cobalt more closely, walking in a circle around him. "So you want to join, huh?" He spoke skeptically. Cobalt couldn't really blame him for his skepticism; he was a very wiry cat. It came from eating crowfood when he was hungry. Cobalt just didn't hunt when there was better things to do. Bleachstar stopped in front of him, looking down at the diluted tortoiseshell. "what's your name?"

Cobalt lied smoothly, "M' names Blue. Mum called me that for my eyes." He smirked slightly. "She doesn't call anyone anything these days." He made it sound like he killed his own mother, because it was said that Bleachstar had killed his entire family, minus his two brothers, who had eluded him. Cobalt didn't think it'd be good if Bleachstar recognized him as Cobalt, since he'd assume that Quickstar had sent him. So he'd invented Blue shortly after he'd spoken with the Rainclan leader.

Bleachstar continued to scrutinize him, any cat could claim to kill their family, but doing so was something else entirely. And, in truth, Cobalt hadn't really killed his mother. But the less Bleachstar knew, the better.

The white tom nodded, turning to go and sit near Drakefeather. "If you really want to join, then prove it." He turned to a large Russian blue that stood slightly behind Cobalt. "Shadefur," the tom nodded as he spoke his name, and Cobalt turned to see him. Shadefur crouched and sprung, missing Cobalt by inches.

Cobalt knew what Bleachstar wanted, he wanted him to prove that he could kill. He was in for a disappointment if he thought Cobalt wouldn't do it.

Before Shadefur could leap again, Cobalt dived on top of him, grabbing his throat in his jaws. Shadefur tried to yowl out in fury, only to be choked off as Cobalt began the art of suffocation that he had learned from a loner once. Shadefur struggled beneath him, strongly at first, but it didn't take long for his spasms t become weak. Bleachstar stood to his paws quickly, watching with interest as 'Blue' proceeded to murder Shadefur without so much as breaking skin. He had been in the mood for bloodshed, but this was interesting to him. Silently killing your opponent without any blood to indicate there was even a fight? Nice.

Shadefurs struggles eventually stopped, and Bleachstar walked over to inspect Cobalts work. Shadefur was dead, that much was obvious, but Bleachstar didn't at all seemed perturbed by this. In fact, he grinned satisfaction. The cats around him exchanged nervous looks. The older warriors didn't want another killer in their midst, but they wouldn't go against Bleachstars orders.

"Very well," He spoke finally, "You may join us. Spadeheart! Ashscatter!" He yowled. The brothers walked to the pair, looking down meekly. Spadehearts eyes were glued to Shadefurs lifeless body. Shadefur had been bloodthirsty, like Bleachstar, and had bossed them around like everyone else, but Spadeheart wasn't comfortable with killing him. "Ashscatter, take Shadefur out and bury him." Ever since Bleachstar took over, only very few cats received a vigil anymore. If you wanted to stay with a dead cat all night, you could go sit by there grave. "Spadeheart, Blue will be your responsibility from now on." His tone ended the topic, and Bleachstar turned to go back to his den.

Spadeheart studied Blue with cautious eyes, but led him to the warriors den nonetheless.

Cobalt didn't sleep at all that night, he wasn't planning to. He waited until about midnight, when he heard the steady breathing of many sleeping cats, to raise and start toward the exit of the den. Unfortunately, when he rose to his paws, his tail flicked out and hit Spadehearts ear. The black-and-white tom started awake, staring at Cobalt in the near-darkness. "Blue? Why are you up so early?" Not good….

Cobalts silence brought a hard edge to Spadehearts gaze. The bi-colored tom pushed himself slowly to his paws, not breaking eye contact with Cobalt, who was thinking fast. "I had a bad dream." Cobalt invented quickly, praying that Spadeheart would believe him. Apparently he didn't.

Spadeheart looked him over for a second. "Why are you really here, Blue?" He didn't believe that he just wanted to join Hailclan, there was something wrong about all of this.

The diluted tortie was silent for a minute. He had seen Spadehearts face when he saw Shadefurs body, and he didn't think this tom was anything like Bleachstar. "I was sent here, to be honest," he whispered so quietly that Spadeheart had to strain his ears to listen. "I'll say more when we're outside the den." Spadeheart studied him suspiciously, before following him out of the den, fur bristling the entire time, and a yowl already building in his throat.

Cobalt turned the second they were out of the warriors den. "To be blunt, my name is Cobalt. I'm just a regular rouge, who happens to take jobs from any one who want me to do something for them. And it so happens that Quickstar sent me to retrieve his daughter from Bleachstar." He watched Spadehearts cautious features change to stunned in an instant. "And you," He said pointedly, "Will tell me where she is, and keep quite about this whole thing, or else you won't tell anyone anything ever again."

Spadeheart understood his threat, and would have gladly pointed him in Articpaws direction, but he knew what waited for him if he did. Bleachstar had entrusted 'Blue' to him, and if both Cobalt and Aticpaw ended up missing, Bleachstar would kill him and Ashscatter without a second thought. And anyway, if Cobalt woke up Bleachstar, they'd die anyway.

"If I agree to help you, you have to get me and my brother out of here." Spadeheart knew that Ashscatter would go along with this, he disapproved of Bleachstars ways as much as Spadeheart did.

Cobalt nodded. This job was shaping up to be incredibly easy! He briefly wondered how long his good luck would last, and at what point fate was going to turn around and kick him in the tail.


	3. Chapter 2

Lonefly sighed as he left Quickstar, Foxbrush and Shadedmoon to their thoughts. The siblings had always been close, and the medicine cat thought it best that they dealt with this crisis together. In any case, it was late and Lonefly was dead on his paws.

The red tabby padded back to his den, nodding at the various Rainclan cats that were still up and about at the time. He ducked under the branches of the pine tree that guarded his den, and collapsed once he was in his nest. His eyes drifted closed, and Lonefly let the sleep take him.

When the medicine cats eyes opened, he was standing on a hilltop. His first clue that this was a dream, besides the absence of his nest, was that there was snow everywhere. That was wrong, it was Greenleaf! Most Rainclan cats were constantly at his den because they were overheated.

He looked around himself, taking in his surroundings. It was fairly dark out, though it wasn't night just yet. He guessed the darkness was from the heavy gray storm clouds above. The hill didn't appear to be anywhere in the forest, at least nowhere that he'd ever been. More snow started to fall around him, making Lonefly feel chilled. He watched as the snow turned into a storm, shortening his range of vision to only about a tail-length in front of him.

He almost jumped as a cat emerged in front of him. He recognized the tom immediately, as he'd visited him many times since his passing. "Briskwind!" Lonefly shouted above the storm. In his time as the Rainclan medicine cat, he'd been horribly disfigured. His front left leg had been broken, and healed at a wrong angle, and most of the left side of his face was missing, along with about three fourths of his tail. As a starclan cat, Briskwind was restored to the way he was before he took a ride down the river.

The silver tom smiled at his old apprentice, greeting him with only a nod. As his head bobbed, the snowstorm quelled almost instantly. Lonefly was surprised as he looked around and saw that the entire hill was covered in an eerie blue snow. He looked back up to where Briskwind had been standing, only to see that he was gone. In his place, a bloody rosette had formed in the snow, spreading outward and engulfing the hillside in a slow but effective process. Lonefly backed away from the blood red snow as it crept toward him, his heart racing.

"Pray for their return, Lonefly. For their coming will mark the end of the bloodshed that has plagued the forest for too long." Briskwinds voice seemed to come from everywhere, as Lonefly stood paralyzed as the blood red snow reached him. A wet stickiness crept up from his paws, as the turned the exact color and shade of the snow around him. Lonefly yowled out in terror, as he woke in his den. His breathing was fast and hard, and he quickly looked down at his paws. He sighed in relief; they were the same orange-yellow color they had always been.

He rose quickly and raced to Quickstars den to tell him of the dream.

--

Spadeheart appeared back in the main clearing, a tired and disheveled-looking Ashscatter in tow behind him. "Spadeheart tells me you plan to take Articpaw back to Rainclan?" His voice was wary and tired, he didn't seem like he trusted Cobalt at all.

"Yeah, and he says that the two of you are gonna' run afterwards." Cobalt was impatient with all this, he would have already had Articpaw and be halfway gone by now if he hadn't woken Spadeheart. "Now just tell me where she is, and I'll be on my way." They couldn't go straight to Rainclan, that would most likely cause a war to break loose, and Quickstar wasn't prepared for that. He'd take Articpaw to his den and wait for a day or two before taking as indirect a route as possible back to her camp.

Spadeheart bit his lip for a second before turning to Ashscatter. "I'll take him to Articpaw, you go on ahead and I'll meet you on the other side of the stream." Ashscatter looked at his little brother, surprise clear on his face. He'd expected the stream, it was a ways off there territory, and the scent would be washed away the second they crossed. But for Spadeheart to suggest that he go ahead and wait for him? They'd always done things together!

"I'll be right behind you," Spadeheart assured his brother, "But there's no way Articpaw would trust some random cat that shows up in the middle of the night to supposedly take her home." Ashscatter had to admit he had a point there. Cobalt lashed his tail impatiently.

"Fine." Ashscatter conceded, turning to the camp exit, "But hurry!" He left as quickly and quietly as he could, careful not to wake any sleeping cats. Cobalt turned to look at Spadeheart.

"Lead the way," His voice was laced with sarcasm, and Spadeheart narrowed his eyes at the diluted tortoiseshell. He lashed his tail and silently padded toward Bleachstars den.

Cobalt and Spadeheart had to pause as they reached the main chamber of Bleachstars den to let there eyes adjust to the darkness. Cobalt could make out the large white figure that had to be the sleeping Bleachstar. Just behind him, he could see another white figure, much smaller and more like cream then white. That had to be Articpaw.

Spadeheart glanced at Cobalt before walking very slowly in as broad an arch as he could around the Hailclan leaders sleeping form. He was terrified that any moment now, the beating of his frantic heart would wake the fearsome leader, and his life would end. Cobalt followed his example and gave Bleachstar a wide berth. They both stopped in front of Articpaw, Spadeheart glancing over his shoulder at Bleachstar before carefully nudging Articpaw.

The creamy white she-cat fluttered her eyes a little, before opening them fully, and staring up at Spadeheart. She turned her attention to Cobalt, her dainty frame quivering as she breathed fast. Clearly the shock of having a strange tom and Spadeheart intruding on her sleep in the middle of the night was a bit much for her.

As her blue gray eyes fastened on Cobalt, he felt that kick in the tail he'd foretold earlier. Fate had reared it's ugly head right at the wrong time. Icy talons gripped Cobalts stomach as he stared right back into Articpaws gaze. He winced as he felt his heart snap in two. He turned away from Articpaw and focused on Bleachstar so that her eyes couldn't play with his insides anymore.

He felt Spadeheart move beside him, motioning for Articpaw to follow them. Cobalt started toward the den mouth again, inwardly promising not to look at her again until he was safely away from all this, and she was back with her daddy at Rainclan territory. Cobalt wasn't weak, but this small she-cat made him feel… strange. He couldn't explain the feeling, since it was something he'd never felt before.

He could just barely hear Spadeheart and Articpaw behind him, and swore to himself he wouldn't look back. They emerged into the dimly lit main clearing, Cobalt glanced back briefly to see that Articpaw had stopped and was inhaling the night air as though it was the only thing she'd ever want to be doing. Cobalt felt another stab in his gut as he watched her. "Lets go." He said acidly, moving toward the exit and freedom as fast as he could on silent paws. He only glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were following, before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

As they ran through the forest to meet Ashscatter, Cobalts mind was working furiously. He hated what this she-cat did to him, his heart still felt like extremely sharp claws were embedding themselves in his heart. He wouldn't let some pathetic creature with beautiful creamy fur and big, bright amber eyes make a fool of him. No she-cat ever had, and he had sworn that no she-cat ever would. He hated her for everything! He wouldn't allow her to sink her claws into his heart ever again!

A few minutes ago, Cobalt was eager to be rid of Spadeheart and Ashscatter, convinced that they were only there to get in the way. But now, he considered inviting them back to his cave so that he wouldn't have to be alone with that witch-cat. It was after a few minutes of running that Cobalt scented the Hailclan border, and knew they were in neutral territory. Cobalt shivered as the icy stream soaked through his fur and drenched the skin beneath. On the other side, a bush shivered and Ashscatter stepped out, rushing forward to touch his nose to Spadehearts fur.

"Thank you Spadeheart, Ashscatter." Cobalt could hear the smile in her voice, even though he refused to look at her. Oh, Starclan, even her voice was beautiful. It wasn't hard for Cobalt to imagine why Bleachstar had kidnapped her.

The brothers grinned at her. "It was all because of Cobalt, anyway." Spadeheart was saying, his harsh feelings towards the rouge apparently gone. "Quickstar sent him to bring you back."

Cobalt felt her gaze of his multi-hued fur, and couldn't stop the shiver. "Then thank you, Cobalt." She meowed. Cobalt looked at her as acidly as he could manage, and registered her face change from gratitude to surprise.

"Don't' thank me yet, we're still in danger. And it wasn't my choice anyway." He looked back at Spadeheart and Ashscatter, registering their shocked expressions. "If you two have nowhere else to go, your welcome back at my den." He stood there and waited for their tongues to loosen enough to respond.

"Like we'd leave her alone with you anyway." Spadeheart replied just as acidly as Cobalt had, all feelings of good humor apparently gone.

"Follow me then." Cobalt refused to look at Articpaw as he turned and stalked off in the direction of his den. He heard Articpaw ask why they weren't going back to Rainclan territory, and Ashscatter explained why. Cobalt considered just dropping her back at her camp and letting her and her clan deal with whatever Bleachstar threw there way, but the idea of leaving Articpaw to deal with that was unbearable, even though he had decided to hate her.

He sighed to himself; this was going to be a hard couple of days for the rouge.


	4. Chapter 3

Coalfoot and Drakefeather trembled in Bleachstars piercing gaze. They'd just returned from the edge of the territory, where the scent of the four cats had ended. Drakefeather continued his report in a trembling voice. It was almost comical, the two obviously powerful toms shaking in fear of the big white tom, except for the murderous glint in Bleachstars honey brown eyes. "And there scent ended at the stream outside our territory. They went north, though, so Rainclan can't be involved?" it sounded more like a question then a comment.

Bleachstar snarled in rage at Drakefeather, who backed away, eyes large. "You dare to come back here and tell me that nonsense?!" He roared at the toms. "Of course Rainclan had something to do with it! Do you think anyone else would have known where to find her?! That this Blue just wandered up and heard of her, and decided to steal her from under my nose?!" Coalfoot and Drakefeather exchanged nervous glances.

"T-the full moon isn't that far away." Coalfoot meowed shakily. "You could confront Quickstar about it?" He could tell instantly that this was the wrong thing to say. Bleachstars nose was mouse-lengths away from his face.

"Do you even have a brain in that empty shell you call a head?!" He demanded. "Confronting Quickstar about the fact that HIS daughter was missing from OUR camp, would mean admitting that we stole her! What do you think the other clans would do once they discovered that we stole an apprentice?!" Coalfoot looked down at his paws, Fearful of Bleachstars rage.

Drakefeather stepped in hurriedly, "Coalfoot wasn't thinking, there's no way we could ever admit to taking Articpaw!" Bleachstar studied Drakefeather in his piercing gaze.

"So what, Drakefeather, do you propose we do?" His voice was acid, and had the exact effect on Drakefeathers stomach.

He swallowed, composing his thoughts as best he could. " We could send someone, and tell them to be like Blue was. I mean act like they wanted to join Rainclan." He said hurriedly at Bleachstars furious expression. "Even if they don't accept them, they'll still find out if Articpaws there or not." Drakefeather relaxed slightly as Bleachstar looked thoughtful for a second.

The toms stomach was in instant knots again as Bleachstar grinned wickedly down at him. "Your mate had kits recently, correct?" Drakefeather gasped.

"But Bleachstar," He begged, "There only three moons old! They can't do something like tha-."He was cut short by Bleachstars angry growl.

Drakefeather lowered his head in fear as Bleachstar explained his reasoning. "You suggested it, Drakefeather. It makes sense that kits they've never seen should be the ones to carry out your little plan." Bleachstar turned and stalked over to Articpaws nest, sniffing the lining. Her scent had set his nerve ending alight ever since he scented her at her first gathering. She smelled like Persimmons and peaches, there was no way he'd allow her to escape his grasp.

Drakefeather sighed in defeat. There was no way Bleachstar would be persuaded other wards. And it very well might save his and Coalfoots lives at this point. "Very well, Bleachstar." He looked up to Bleachstar, watching him as he turned to look at Drakefeather with a slightly pleased expression.

The white tom nodded. "Go now, Drakefeather. Bathe yourself and Flykit, and leave him near the Rainclan border." Drakefeather felt his heart twist. Flykit was the smallest of his three kits, and he knew that Bleachstar was aware of the dim chance of survival he possessed if Rainclan cats didn't find him.

But he only nodded and disappeared out the mouth of the den. Coalfoot made to follow him, but Bleachstar stopped him in his tracks. "Where do you think your going?"

Drakefeather winced as he heard Coalfoots screams. He tried to ignore the screams as he slunk into the Nursery.

Rosemane looked up at her mate and cocked her head curiously. "Drakefeather? What's wrong?"

----

Cobalt felt like ripping his tail off and doing some kind of loopy dance with it. The other three had insisted on stopping to hunt, despite Cobalt's continued debate that there was plenty of prey back at his den.

Besides his irritance at having to stop, Spadeheart was really starting to get on his nerves. It had been Spadehearts idea to stop and hunt in the first place. He seemed sure that Articpaw would pass out from hunger if they didn't eat soon. Articpaw hadn't said anything on the subject, only glanced hesitantly at Cobalt.

So here they were, Cobalt sitting down and watching the other three cats chase rabbits in the field. The grass was fairly tall, and Articpaw seemed to have trouble finding the speedy creatures. He almost jumped as Ashscatter dropped some kind of bird beside him and sat down. "Enjoying the view?" He asked with a knowing glance at a flash of creamy white fur as Articpaw pounced.

Cobalt huffed at Ashscatter. "She's not very good at hunting, is she?" He said settling his head on his paws and studying a line of ants as the paraded in front of his paws.

Ashscatter grinned. Cobalt was either very complex, or very simple, but Ashscatter was having a hard time finding out which. "Maybe you should go help her?" He nudged slightly. Cobalt looked up at the silvery gray cat. He really wasn't anything like his brother.

"I learned how to hunt by myself, she can to." Ashscatter shook his head and nudged the bird toward Cobalt.

"That's for you, you look like you need something fresh." The silvery gray tom got up and padded off to meet Spadeheart, who seemed to be wrestling with a large rabbit. Cobalt looked down at the bird, his mouth watering. It was true, he hadn't often hunted for himself. Oh he could hunt when he wanted to, he just didn't usually want to. There was always some kind of food nearby, so Cobalt had taken to watching the sky whenever he was hungry. Circling buzzards or crows always meant food, so he watched them instead of the twitching leaves of the forest.

All the same, he dug into the bird hungrily. He didn't notice as Articpaw came up and sat next to him, exactly where Ashscatter was before. He almost choked when he heard her quite voice. "How far away is your den?" Cobalts bright blue eyes studied her for a second, coming to the conclusion that she was just trying to make polite conversation.

Cobalt looked up at the sky. It was still early, but the sun was already up. "We should be there by sunhigh if we leave soon. He dimly noticed that she didn't have any fresh-kill. "No luck?" He tried to make his voice sound mocking, not entirely sure that he succeeded.

Articpaw arched a brow at him and Cobalt inwardly cursed. He never cared, why did he suddenly start? He was surprised when Articpaw smiled kindly at him. "Actually, I was very lucky." She seemed to laugh at some private joke.

He was slightly irritated now, what was so amusing? "Really?" He meowed looking around. "And how exactly did you get lucky?" His tail tapped his side in irritation.

The creamy white she-cat leaned down so they were face to face. "You came to bring me home, didn't you?" Cobalt could have kicked himself, he felt stupid. Why was he so flustered by her? Why did she have to come along and ruin his life?

"Yeah, well, it was all your dad." He looked down at the bird Ashscatter had brought him. He didn't want it now, and Articpaw didn't have anything. He pushed himself to his paws and turned to where Spadeheart and Ashscatter were talking. "You can have that if you want." He tried to sound offhand about it, but he heard Articpaws chuckle that meant he failed miserably.

He felt so many strange emotions at the sound of her laugh. What was this? What were these feelings anyway? Cobalt had so many questions, and he felt like he'd explode if he bottled them up for much longer. He shook his head and went off to make fun of Spadeheart. That would clear his head.

-----

Cobalt was the first to come over the hill that marked the start of his territory. A dark flash of fur caught his attention near the bramble bush he knew to protect his cave. He only had time to brace himself before he was bowled over by a black cat that only slightly bigger then himself.

"Where ya been, Coby?" The dark colored tom purred playfully. Getting up and off Cobalt when the diluted tortie started kicking at his belly. "Doin' a job, buddy?" His tone was playful, as though they were both kits. The tom looked up to study the other three cats with polite interest. Until he got to Articpaw.

"Yes, Dallas, I've been on a job." Of all the cats Cobalt had ever met, only Dallas could really be called his friend. Mostly because he was too stubborn to leave him alone, even when Cobalt threatened him. Still, Cobalt felt a flare of annoyances Dallas' eyes fastened on Articpaw and took on a mischievous glint.

As far as Cobalt knew, Dallas had sired four litters of kits. He was more then slightly annoyed that Dallas would look at Articpaw like he was doing now. He swatted him on the head with his paw, drawing the black toms attention back to himself. "These are Ashscatter and Spadeheart." He said, gesturing to the brothers who had been watching Dallas like they'd never seen anything quite like him. Which they probably hadn't, Dallas was one of a kind. "And this is Articpaw, she'll be leaving in a few days to go back to her father."

Dallas turned. "If you're just gonna give 'er back, why'd ya take her, Coby?" Cobalt shook his head. Dallas was different, yes, but he was so predictable.

"She was kidnapped, I was hired to take her back home." His tone closed the subject, but Dallas' curious gaze wandered back to Ashscatter and Spadeheart. The later of which had moved closer to Articpaw. That made Cobalt laugh inwardly. If Dallas wanted something, he'd fight for it. Some runaway warrior wouldn't get in his way.

But cobalt didn't say this, he thought it's be funny to see the bi-colored tom try to take on Dallas.

"Anyway," Cobalt interrupted their little staring contest. "Ash and Spade'll be staying with us for a while. They, apparently, can't go anywhere."

They corrected him instantly with "Ashscatter" and "Spadeheart" Cobalt just rolled his eyes. If they insisted on keeping their 'warrior names', that was fine with Cobalt. Whether he would actually call them that was anyone's guess.

Cobalt led the way down to the brambles that protected his den from the outside world, pushing through, he was welcomed by the many glittering objects he had horded over the years. Mirrors, silverware, the bells from kittypet collars, bits of jewelry, a few studded dog collars, he had it all and then some. He also had a lot of room for more. When Cobalt grew old, he wanted to do it in style.

He heard a collective gasp behind him, and turned to see Ashscatter, Spadeheart and Articpaw standing at the cave mouth and staring around at all his treasures. "What?" Ashscatter just shook his head and went to sit down near a few toys he'd found in some pets back yard. Spadeheart walked over to study a mirror as Dallas emerged from the brambles.

"Don't mind if I stay with ya for a while, do ya Coby?" Truthfully, he did mind. But Dallas never listened when Cobalt said no.

"Feel free to look around, but don't go far." Cobalt curled up on a bright pink towel and studied the other cats. Dallas was whispering something in Articpaws ear, and she was trying not to giggle. Cobalt was sure Dallas was saying something about him, and couldn't stop the angry glint in his blue eyes. Dallas always assumed he could have anything he wanted, why did he have to want Articpaw?

Cobalt wasn't familiar with jealousy, and was surprised by the wave of emotion he was drowning in. He wanted Dallas to leave, he wanted never to see his friends again. He wanted Articpaw to be laughing at something he'd said. Above all, he didn't want to bring Articpaw back to Quickstar.

The last thought surprised him. He was known for doing his jobs, and doing them well. Nothing had ever distracted him until now. But he knew it was true, he didn't want to put Articpaw behind him. He didn't want to think about never seeing her again. And he definitely didn't want to see her falling for Dallas.

He wanted to crawl into a dark hole, is what he wanted to do. Cobalt closed his eyes and let himself drift. His sleepless night and all the running they'd done since then starting to catch up to him. He knew what he wanted, yes. But Cobalt just didn't know what he would actually do. Visions of the beautiful creamy white she-cat danced before his eyes as he drifted into sleep. He wished he'd never met her.

---

Hello all! Its Kee . Thanks for all you comments and suggestions. Heres a question for you all, Should Bleachie die? I asked some of the people I RP with, and they were absolutely appalled at the idea. (Yes, Bleachie is originally an RP character, as are many of the characters you'll see in Strawberry Moon, and any sequels I may come up with afterwards.) So what do you people think? Do you really want Bleachstar to DIE?!


	5. Chapter 4

When Cobalts blue eyes opened, the first rays of a new day were pressing through the bramble bush. He pushed himself up and looked around, memories of the previous day flooding back to him. Spadeheart and Ashscatter slept close together between Articpaw and the cave entrance. Cobalt could make out her cream-colored fur, even in the dark. There was the black shape curled up on the opposite side of the cave, Dallas' fur rose in steady rhythm as he dreamed. The diluted tortie shuddered to think about what the loner dreamed of.

But something was wrong; there was an extra shape. Cobalts eyes narrowed at the familiar shape of a tabby tom curled up and asleep near Dallas. Cobalt shook his head, he should have expected Alex to show up sometime in the middle of the night. Five was enough, but six was just ridiculous. His den wasn't a boarding house for crying out loud!

He sighed, tail lashing in irritance. He really should've known. Everywhere Dallas went, his brother would follow. Alex usually took some time about it, but he always showed up. Cobalt walked over to where the tabby was sleeping and promptly swatted his head. "Get up, you lazy pile of fox-dung." Alex opened one eye and stared balefully up at Cobalt, before grunting and going back to sleep.

Dallas raised his head and yawned, turning his attention to his sleeping brother with mild interest. "When d' Alex show up?" He muttered sleepily. Cobalt sent him an icy stare.

"You tell me, he's your brother." Cobalt almost hissed. The tortie wasn't a morning cat, and he was fine with letting people know that. He wasn't the late-night type either, for that matter. Cobalt was always at his best behavior sometime between sunhigh and when the sun went down.

Dallas just grinned sleepily, yawning again and getting up to attempt to wake up his brother. Cobalt heard the cats on the other side of the den stirring and waking up. "How did we end up with another one?" Spadeheart grumbled as he saw Dallas sit on Alex. Cobalt turned and gave him an exasperated sigh. Apparently, the warrior wasn't used to waking up and finding strange cats scattered about.

Dallas was his only friend, yes, but he had many acquaintances that stopped by if and when they needed a place to stay. Cobalt didn't really worry about anyone taking his things. They didn't have an interest in any of things he had in his den. All the same though, it irritated him when they just came in and slept whenever they felt like it.

Articpaw sat up and regarded Alex with surprise, looking at Cobalt for some kind of hint as to what the cat was doing here. Cobalts stomach chose that time to rumble loudly and make its emptiness known. He left the den without looking at the others.

When Cobalt was hungry, he went to get food. When he was embarrassed, he got out of the public eye. Strangely enough, outside his den was more private then inside. He heard someone else squeeze through the brambles behind him and turned to see Articpaw emerge, Dallas close behind her.

The cream-colored she-cat smiled hesitantly up at him. She was trying to figure out why Cobalt didn't seem to like her. What did she do to make him so angry? She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Dallas. "You hungry?" He asked with a mischievous glint in his eye that Cobalt had come to accept as permanent.

"Leave her alone Dallas, she's not your type." He could barely believe the words had come from his mouth, but he stood firmly and stared at Dallas all the same.

The black tom narrowed his eyes, but kept his easy grin. "So wha' then, Coby? She your type?" Cobalt lashed his tail, noticing that Articpaw was watching them both with a surprised, apprehensive look. He didn't like the look on her face, it didn't suit the pretty she-cat.

"My type, Dallas? No ones my type, you know that." He narrowed his eyes to match Dallas'. "She's no ones, and she'll be leaving for home soon. I'm sure if you mess with her, all of Rainclan'll be out for your blood." He registered that Dallas seemed surprised by his little speech.

Dallas turned to go back into the cave, most likely to get Alex and go hunting. "When did you start to care, Cobalt?" Cobalt was stunned and looked down at his paws. He knew exactly when it was he started caring. He was a little surprised by Dallas calling him Cobalt. The country cat almost always called him either Coby or Magpie. Dallas just didn't like Cobalts real name.

He sighed. He honestly didn't care what Dallas did, and one could only call them friends if they used the term loosely. If Dallas was mad, that was fine with Cobalt. He was brought out of his thoughts by Articpaws voice. "Cobalt?"

He looked up at her, doing his best to keep his face emotionless. "What did he mean 'when did you start to care?'" She studied him for a second. "You don't seem uncaring to me."

Oh that was perfect. His heart twisted in some other new emotion. He wasn't so used to feeling his emotions so strongly. What was this one anyway, guilt? "I never cared." He said quietly, looking away and up at the hill. "And I don't know what would make me seem like I care." The first part was true enough, but he was lying through his teeth the on the second comment. He glanced down at Articpaw to see what her reaction would be. He froze as he saw her pained expression. His dismay overwhelmed him as Articpaw turned to go back into the den

Cobalt felt like crawling under a rock. He almost shouted out that he didn't mean it, but reconsidered quickly. It was better for them this way, he realized. If he distanced himself from Articpaw, she couldn't break him further when he left her with Rainclan. It was best for her, too. She shouldn't have to deal with him, even if it was only for a few days. He'd never really tried as far as she-cats went, and he was almost positive any effort on his part would be painfully pathetic. Which would be bad enough if it was just Articpaw, but there were now four other cats hanging around his cave.

He sighed to himself, agreeing with his choice, but upset about it all the same. He turned to go find something to eat.

------

Articpaw was miserable. How could he just look at her and say he didn't care? It shouldn't bother her this much, she didn't usually mind how other cats thought. But this was the cat that had rescued her from Bleachstar, doesn't that mean he cared? Even just a little? But why would he lie to her? Her only conclusion was that he wasn't lying, and that Cobalt must just be cold and uncaring, just as he'd said.

"Is everything all right, Articpaw?" She looked up at Spadehearts voice and gave the concerned tom a small smile. He was obviously cheered by her smile and purred contently. She liked Spadeheart, he was like a big brother that was extremely easy to please. Ashscatter rose and stretched, greeting the two of them with a nod.

The silvery gray tom's gaze wandered to the brothers on the opposite side of the cave. Dallas was promptly sitting on a gray tabby. He decided not to ask. Articpaws troubled expression caught his attention and he looked puzzled. "What happened, Articpaw?"

Articpaw sighed, she couldn't get around Ashscatters questions like she could Spadeheart's. "I don't think Cobalt likes me." She admitted, hanging her shoulders. To her surprise, Ashscatter chuckled.

"Cobalt is hard to understand, but trust me when I say that he likes you." She looked up at him, an unreadable expression on her face. Could that really be true? If it was, why was Cobalt always acting like he'd rather be anywhere else.

A laugh came from the other side of the den. "Coby? Hard to understand?" It was the new cat, Alex. He had a happy-go-lucky, carefree grin on his face, and seemed not to notice the big black cat that was now chewing on his tail. "Naw, he's easy! Coby's just Coby." He kicked at Dallas with a hind foot before continuing. "He likes his stuff, and he's not very nice."

Dallas snorted. "Not now though." He seemed resentful. "He's actin' weird. He's got five strange cats in 'is cave, and he's not bouncin' off the walls and hissin' at everyone." It was obvious Dallas didn't approve of the change. "And he's bein' protective of sumthin' 'sides his toys." The pointed glance he threw in Articpaws direction left no doubt what he was referring to.

Articpaw didn't know how to respond. Was Cobalt really acting different because of her? She sighed and Spadeheart decided to step in. "Aren't you hungry Articpaw? When was the last time you had a hunting lesson?" She looked up at him gratefully.

"Not since before I came to Hailclan."

Spadeheart shook himself and started toward the exit. "Well let's go, don't want to get rusty, do you?" He teased before dashing out through the brambles, Articpaw following close behind.

Ashscatter, however, was staring appalled at Dallas and Alex. "Where did you two illiterate mouse-brains learn to speak?" Alex rolled onto his back and Dallas pretended not to hear him.

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Hi all, it's me again. I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who's left a review. And to anyone who hasn't, please review. All kinds of reviews welcomed and appreciated! (unless you're going to insult Dallas and Alex's accents. In which case, bite your tongue off and throw it in the nearest river)


	6. Chapter 5

Yeah, sorry for the wait… I've just been really busy with school and everything. This isn't exactly the best chapter ever, but oh well. Also, anyone who wants to know a little more about the other clans, and the basic plot of how Bleach became Bleachstar, send me a PM and I'll send you the statistics and a kind of overview of what happened before Articpaws kidnapping. Other then that, enjoy! (I'll try to update soon)

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The mouse got away. Spadeheart, who had been watching Articpaw stalk her quarry, couldn't honestly say he was surprised it got away. She'd managed to snap a twig when she was almost within pouncing distance, which had scared the rodent into a tangle of tree roots. Apparently, being cooped up in a den void of loose rocks and twigs had made her careless as to watching where she was walking.

Spadeheart smiled at her, walking over to flick her shoulder with his tail. "You'll get it next time." He meowed encouragingly. Articpaw looked up at him, apparently grateful for the black-and-white cats enthusiasm. She'd never been good at hunting. "Maybe we'll try hunting rabbits? They can't do much except run away or dart down holes." The cream-colored she-cat nodded, getting up quickly and pelting off in the direction of the hill near Cobalts den.

The bi-colored tom took her challenge and chased after her, gaining on her smaller form with each bound.

Articpaw glanced over her shoulder briefly, putting on another burst of speed as she saw him getting closer. "No fair! Your legs are longer!" She yowled, dodging around a tree.

"You challenged me!" He reminded her as her sprung over a knarled tree root. Articpaw saw the light that meant the end of the forest and meowed triumphantly. Short legs or not, she was still going to beat Spadeheart. She burst through the tree line with another triumphant mrrow, only to have her momentum carry her right into Cobalt, and propel them both downhill in a mess of limbs and fur.

They hit the bottom and Cobalt disengaged himself immediately. Articpaw almost laughed at how he looked. His fur was fluffed up, making him appear almost twice his size, and he wore a comical look of surprise and readiness to fight with whatever force had knocked him down. He seemed to relax as he noted who it was, and opened his mouth to speak. Articpaw had no doubt he wouldn't have anything nice to say by the outraged look on his face.

"Articpaw!" His words were cut off by Spadehearts concerned voice. "Are you alright?" He was racing down the hill and only slowed when he was close to them. "Did you hurt yourself?" He demanded.

Cobalt seemed indignant at Spadehearts interrogation of the cream-colored cat. For some reason, he bit back his words and set to licking his fur in an attempt to get it to lie flat. "Sorry Cobalt." Articpaw murmured. "I should have been watching where I was going." He looked up from his licking and regarded her emotionlessly. Articpaws mind wandered to the conversation she'd had with the other cats in the cave. He wasn't being hostile at the moment, there was that. But he wasn't being exceptionally friendly either.

She turned to Spadeheart, who seemed to be examining her for injuries. "I'm fine Spadeheart, thank you for your concern." He looked her over one last time, before nodding and looking hesitantly at Cobalt.

The diluted tortoiseshell huffed, turning his back on the two cats. The sound of laughter drew their attention away from Cobalts irritable figure. Dallas and Alex were rolling around a short distance away and laughing themselves stupid by the look of things. "Did ya see his face!" Alex mewed between laughs. Their good time was cut short as Cobalt leapt onto the brothers and proceeded to beat them senseless.

"Oh my…" Spadeheart watched as Cobalt kicked Dallas in the face and chomped down on one of Alex's hind legs. "How about those rabbits?" He trotted off in a different direction then the fighting cats. Articpaw was dimly reminded of a moment back at Rainclan camp when Quickstar had pushed them back into the nursery when Rexfur and Dewsparkle had started fighting. He hadn't wanted Articpaw and her two siblings, Silverpaw and Shimmerpaw to start imitating the warriors.

Thinking about her two sisters brought a pang to Articpaws heart. She missed them terribly. She looked up to see Spadeheart had come back to stand over her and was looking concerned. "What's wrong, Articpaw?" She shook her head.

"It's nothing, I was just missing my sisters…" A look of understanding crossed Spadehearts face.

"I know what you mean." He meowed, settling down next to her. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost Ashscatter." He studied her face for a minute. "Speaking of which, he's probably better at catching rabbits then me." Articpaw smiled up at him, and nodded. She followed him back to Cobalts cave, being sure to give the violent rouges a wide berth.

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"Foxbrush! That was uncalled for an unexceptable from a warrior!" Razorwing yowled at Foxbrush and Shadedmoon. The former of which looked back at the clan deputy with a too-innocent expression.

Shadedmoon had been curled up asleep, when Foxbrush had come along and promptly sat on him. If she had to guess, she'd say that the "unacceptable part was where she'd started chewing on his ear.

"Relax Razorwing!" Foxbrush sighed. Razorwing could be such a stickler sometimes. "I was just waking Shadedmoon up to tell him that Quickstar would like a word with us." Razorwings eyes narrowed and Foxbrush had the satisfaction of seeing the brief anger flash in his eyes. Razorwing was always slightly jealous that Quickstar talked about clan matters more with his siblings then his deputy.

That had been a big surprise to Rainclan, Quickstars choosing Razorwing as the deputy. Everyone had assumed he'd either choose Foxbrush or Shadedmoon. Truthfully, Quickstar had chosen Razorwing because choosing either of his siblings would have been one of the biggest mistakes he ever made. No one knew better then he how immature the two cats could be. Both siblings knew the reason behind his choice, and respected their older brother for it.

Foxbrush and a tired-looking Shadedmoon padded off towards Quickstars den with an angry Razorwing glaring at their backs.

"Foxbrush says you wanted to talk to us?" Shadedmoon meowed simply when they saw the silver tom laying in his nest.

Quickstar raised his head and seemed to be sizing up his brother and sister. Eventually he sighed and looked down to study his paws. "I've been worried lately." He admitted.

The two younger siblings exchanged a brief glance. Quickstar was always worried about something, but this seemed different. "The full moon is approaching, and Cobalt hasn't returned Articpaw to us yet." He continued, still looking down at his paws. "I realize this can mean a number of things, but I worry that perhaps we were wrong about him." Foxbrush stiffened slightly. She understood Quickstars words better then Shadedmoon.

Could Cobalt have really betrayed them? Or had he simply failed in his mission? Or maybe he had succeeded and was just taking a while in returning to them. But no matter what happened, they could almost count on the fact that Bleachstar wouldn't respond well.

Quickstar looked up at his siblings, his most trusted cats, and opened his mouth to speak when a sharp yowl in the camp cut them off.

"Quickstar! Quickstar, come quick!" The three cats recognized the voice of Riverstone, one of the older warriors. Quickstar frowned, Riverstone had taken his apprentice Weedpaw and Winterstorm out on a patrol not too long ago. They were back much too soon to have patrolled properly.

Quickstar pushed himself to his paws and emerged from his den flanked by Foxbrush and Shadedmoon. All three stoped in their tracks when they caught sight of Winterstorm.

Quickstars mate was pretty, and usually drew attention her way, but it was the small furry bundle she held by the scruff that drew their attention. It was a kit! A small, grey speckled white kit hung from the diltuted tortoiseshell queens mouth.

Upon catching sight of her mate, Winterstorm placed the fuzzy bundle on the ground and padded slowly towards Quickstar. "We found him on the west border, he appears to have been abandoned. The poor thing." She mewed sympathetically. Quickstar nodded and stepped closer to the speckled kit.

The small thing shied away from him, looking up with big, fearful eyes. He felt someone bump into his flank and turned to see Shimmerpaw standing by looking concerned.

The white she-cat turned her attention to the small kit. "Father, we can't turn him away. He's much too young to survive on his own." Quickstar sighed, knowing she was right. He wasn't heartless, and he probably wouldn't have turned the kit away, but Shimmerpaw was always cautious. He glanced over Shimmerpaws shoulder to see Silverpaw talking to Winterstorm and Willowbranch.

The gray tom nodded. "Shimmerpaw, take our little friend here to the nursery. See if Willowbranch will accept him." She would, of course. Willowbranch was known for her big heart.

Shimmerpaw grinned. "Thank you father." She leaned down to pick up the kit before pausing and looking quisicaly back up at her father. "Is there any news on Articpaw?" she mewed quietly.

Quickstar battled with himself, before shaking his head. It was best neither Shimmerpaw, Silverpaw, or Winterstorm knew about Cobalt.

Shimmerpaw nodded sadly, as if that was what she excpected, before picking the kit up by the scruff and trotting off to the nursery. Quickstar looked up where his siblings were sitting. To anyone else, the small reddish queen would have looked comical sitting next to the big long-haired black tom. But Quickstar saw the somber expressions on their faces, and sent a silent prayer to Starclan for the safe return of his daughter.


End file.
